A pair of nesting falcons have called the roof of the Union County Courthouse "home" for the past eight years.

Peregrine falcons returned to New Jersey in the 1980s after they had become extinct east of the Mississippi in 1964, according to the DEP. DDT, which causes the birds' eggs to fail, had threatened the species. Falcons were one of the first birds to be the focus of conservation, according to the DEP, and after the U.S. banned DDT, the number of birds have increased as they've successfully nested in the state.

The peregrine falcon population in New Jersey has remained nearly steady at 26 known
pairs, according to a 2012 report by the DEP.